These two titles introduce a new play style that anyone can jump in and enjoy, with plenty of fun adventure and Pokémon for all fans. The games are based on Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition, which first launched in Japan in 1998. Much has changed since then, and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! include many new modern game elements that a wide range of fans can appreciate. The games bring the intuitiveness of catching Pokémon that we've seen in Pokémon GO to a familiar Pokémon adventure, enhanced by an updated graphic style. These titles are the first that Mr. Masuda is directing himself since Pokémon X and Pokémon Y.

In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!, the famous Pikachu will travel alongside the main character. And in Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!, the adorable Eevee will be your partner. Your partner Pokémon doesn't go back in its Poké Ball when it's not battling. Instead, it rests on your shoulder or your head, and occasionally wanders around to help you out.

The practice of catching Pokémon will change dramatically from previous titles. Now you can use your Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con to toss a Poké Ball at your target with one hand, either by pressing a button or just by flicking your wrist. With fewer buttons and intuitive action, it's never been simpler.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! also feature two-player simultaneous play. Each player uses one Joy-Con to explore together. When they cooperate on something, such as catching Pokémon or challenging Trainer battles, the task becomes even easier.

To really capture the Pokémon spirit of these titles, a new accessory was also unveiled at the show by Nintendo's Shinya Takahashi. The Poké Ball Plus is a Poké Ball-shaped controller that you can use to play Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! instead of the Joy-Con. The Poké Ball Plus is so much more than that, though. You can use it to carry around your partner Pokémon—or any other one you catch—in the real world when you're not playing. Mr. Takahashi promised more details on the incentives for this feature down the road.

Mr. Nomura of Niantic took the stage next to expand even further on the deep connection between Pokémon GO and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! The Poke Ball Plus is fully compatible with Pokémon GO, sharing the same features as the Pokémon GO Plus. Also, Pokémon originally discovered in the Kanto region that you have caught in Pokémon GO can be brought into Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! And Niantic CEO John Hanke promised via a video presentation that even more secrets about this connection functionality will be revealed soon. Mr. Hanke finished with one last surprise for fans: right now, Alolan Exeggutor is available to catch in Pokémon GO.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!, along with the Poké Ball Plus, are scheduled to be released worldwide on November 16, 2018.

If it's really just Pokemon Yellow remade with Pokemon Go transferring integration, that's not bad... But man do I hate the idea of the single Joycon control input. I'm okay with the pokeball throwing input (assuming it reads my their strength properly), but I hope there's an analog input option. Also, that cash grab bullshit which of the Switch incarnation of the "Pokemon Go Plus" strap-on only has a single clickable joystick. How are you supposed to control your game with a single button? Even The GameBoy had 4 different face buttons, counting Select and omitting the D-pad. They're casualing the shit out of this classic. I didn't notice any Gym or Elite 4 content in the trailer either. I'd expect this to still be everything Yellow had and then some, but this trailer is giving me doubts. I'll wait to hear more; not sold yet.

So, is this just some tie-in/sequel/side game to Pokemon Go? Cuz i stopped caring about that phone shit long ago. While i can see in the trailer that there are places to go and trainers to fight, i question just how much of a "story" this game will have. Right now i'm getting similar vibes to those two Colosseum games on the Gamecube, which were spin-off games with their own unique gameplay mechanics, but ultimately just ended up as mere shadows of the main games from that generation. If this new game is fleshed out enough, with a large region to explore and a deep enough story, then i might pick it up, but for now i feel like i need more info. For now, i think i'd rather just wait for the next main series game.

- the Combat Power system from Pokemon GO is being used in battles
- battling and trading will be available online, but competitive ranked battles aren’t included
- no plans to utilize the Switch Online paid service
- officially-released screens were at 1080p resolution
- Pokemon Let’s GO Pikachu/Eevee's codename was “Project Beluga”
- the Poke Ball Plus' codename was “Project Palma”
- players won’t be able to evolve the Starter Pokemon

So, is this just some tie-in/sequel/side game to Pokemon Go? Cuz i stopped caring about that phone shit long ago. While i can see in the trailer that there are places to go and trainers to fight, i question just how much of a "story" this game will have. Right now i'm getting similar vibes to those two Colosseum games on the Gamecube, which were spin-off games with their own unique gameplay mechanics, but ultimately just ended up as mere shadows of the main games from that generation. If this new game is fleshed out enough, with a large region to explore and a deep enough story, then i might pick it up, but for now i feel like i need more info. For now, i think i'd rather just wait for the next main series game.

It's by and large a remake of Pokémon Yellow and follow's that game's general story/structure, but with Go-inspired capture and wild Pokémon encounter mechanics and connectivity with Go.

The rumors/leaks pre-announcement said that it's actually set around Sun & Moon, and it has a new protagonist with adult Red and Blue playing some role in the story though.

Then it's Pikachu version, no-brainer. lolSeriously, what the fuck? You can't evolve the only pokemon that is born to be evolved?

It is kind of weird, but they obviously weren't gonna let you evolve Pikachu, Eevee kinda has to follow suit. Plus, there's the gimmick of either sitting on your hat/shoulder, and probably a lot more special interactive elements.

It is kind of weird, but they obviously weren't gonna let you evolve Pikachu, Eevee kinda has to follow suit. Plus, there's the gimmick of either sitting on your hat/shoulder, and probably a lot more special interactive elements.

Yeah, I gathered all that, too, but there's still no reason why they couldn't make every Eeveelution (and even Raichu) do those things. All of those pokes stay relatively the same size. Whatever rides on your shoulder or head as a base form could still do the same thing as an evolved poke. I see it as laziness more than anything else, but it's probably also that they want to maintain simplicity because pokemon be shallow for the kiddiez and shits gotta be cute.

It's just a core design/narrative decision key to the concept of the games that you don't agree with. They obviously want to keep it so the mascots of these games remain in base form. Not allowing Eevee to evolve is no more lazy than not allowing Pikachu to, it's just something to do to keep the versions similar. It's not like you're not going to be able to obtain another Eevee and evolve it into the other forms, so from a competitive/team building sense it's irrelevant.

The no evolution thing was kept as a nod to Ash never evolving his Pikachu despite Pikachu having multiple chances to evolve. Granted Ash generally left the choice of evolving to Pikachu himself and Pikachu has refused each time with the final time resulting in Ash's Thunder Stone being stolen by Team Rocket. Also Pikachu hates snooty Raichus which maybe is another reason why he never wants to evolve. I'm just spitballing here, but I could understand Pikachu being afraid of becoming another snotty Raichu like the ones Pikachu fought before (Lt. Surge's Raichu was probably the only less snotty one of the bunch).

It's not like you'd be barred from getting the starters' evolved forms in Let's Go...! Besides being able to catch them, you might be able to put them in Go! on mobile, evolve them there, and then bring them back to Let's Go. After all you could trade Yellow's Pikachu to Red, Blue, Gold, Silver, or Crystal for evolution. The catch is you wouldn't have anyone following you anymore in Yellow once your Raichu was returned to Yellow. It would be the same in Let's Go. You'd lose Pikachu/Eevee following you in that case if you move them into another game/version to evolve them.

EDIT - Oh and Ash's Pikachu hates being confined in Poke Balls. So take that how you will too.